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June 16, 2016

Brett Beyer - Winning the 2016 Master Worlds

Brett Beyer (AUS) just won his 12th
Laser Master Worlds and is on his way to breaking the all-time record of 13
held by Keith Wilkins (GBR). What makes Brett special is that he's not only a
great sailor but he's also a great coach, and is working with the sailors from
Singapore and South Africa for the upcoming Rio Olympics. This means that he
has very little time to practice but instead spends lots of time watching other top
sailors.

The 2006 Jeju Worlds was
different because we all sailed in one fleet, and it's the only time I've
actually been able to watch Brett compete. Here's what I wrote in my journal:

Followed
defending apprentice world champ Brett Bayer (AUS) on the port tack lay line.
Looks a lot like Olympic gold medalist Robert Scheidt (BRA) in the boat – tall,
smooth, and just more speed. Beautiful to watch. Brett rounded 2nd and went on
to win by 100 yards.

Brett is a frequent contributor to our blog and he has
kindly shared how he won.

Winning the final race, taken by Pam from the finish boat. Notice how flat Brett's sail is.

By Brett
Beyer

The Masters Worlds in Mexico was one of my most enjoyable
regattas for a long time. Sailing conditions that suited me as well as great
race organisation and on-site accommodation were all things I had been looking
forward to – and I wasn’t a bit disappointed.

My decision to compete with the old sail was always going to
be a little risky, but I feel it is a more versatile sail upwind once you get
some wind and waves, which was the expected conditions. I don’t regret that
decision but nor do I think it contributed in a meaningful way to any of the
results. I see the new sail as being an improvement overall but not in
performance, just in sail shape and longevity. Each of the sails have
advantages and disadvantages but it is impressive as to how close in
performance the sails compare to each other.

During and after the Worlds, I had many discussions with
sailors questioning how I can produce boat speed that is at times dominant.
Especially given it is not fitness nor training related. And it is a question
that I too have pondered, but don’t take for granted. I applaud Gavin and others that progress via the tried and trusted routine of hours on water
and analysis. But this routine is not unlike my own, with the exception that I
am not on the water sailing, but on the water coaching. Watching others in detail is ‘training’ for myself. My
Olympic coaching has me doing less and less sailing over the years but improves
my own sailing in ways I had not expected – mainly technically. And it is this
technical understanding and improvement that I rely on so heavily, as opposed
to on water training or fitness benefits.

ErnestoRodriguez (USA) is supremely fit and a great
sailor, he came 2nd in the regatta and is a good example. His fitness for sure
contributed to his performance and I wish I had the time and motivation to do likewise.
But I don’t and I know my best asset to rely on for performance will always be
to technically sail the boat well. What does this mean? Well in waves, it means understanding
shape and size of waves and attaching a specific technique and timing to each
wave variation. This is not a general upwind formula but a very specific way to
sail over/through each specific wave. In Mexico, the waves were different on Port and Starboard
tacks, therefore the technique differed, as did the rig set-up, where often I
was trying to sail faster on Starboard, compared to Port, which may seem
counter-intuitive. This different wave pattern also offers the same gain
potential for me downwind where applying a certain technique that has a
tactical outcome was key. I often made around 30 seconds of gain each downwind,
on the next fastest boat. This is something I simply can’t achieve with flatter
water, or for that matter, better fitness.

But the problem with technique is that the outcome has to be
measurable and quantifiable, and our sport doesn’t lend itself well to this
form of feedback. So you either get a coach that can help with the feedback or,
as most people do, ramp up the volume of training and learn via the trial and
error format. Both ways work if you are curious and/or analytical enough to
examine the outcomes. Boat speed is difficult to measure without a consistent
training partner so using other cues to measure outcomes is a really good way
to see if your technique is helping you or hurting you. For example:

Is
the rudder too loaded?

Is
the rig too grumpy?

Does
the boat accelerate when flicking the bow away?

Does
adding more hiking feel like it contributes?

Do I
want wave direction downwind or go across the wave?

All these are reliable forms of checking to see if the boat
is happy to go fast or if I’m in a battle with the boat, where speed will be
the victim. This is the primary reason I haven’t got any marks on my ropes as I
rely heavily on what the boat is telling me and I trust myself to make an
appropriate change in sail shape or technique when necessary.

I am hosting Skype coaching sessions that started with Worlds debriefs as examples of improving technique and boat speed. The most requested topics I’ve received are: “Downwind
wave catching” and “Upwind speed/waves”. This is where sailors felt most
vulnerable last Worlds. Please contact me if you are interested for costs and
other details at beyersailing(insert at symbol)gmail.com.

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About Us

I am just an old guy who has had some sailing success / And I’m just a (not as old) girl who is still learning how to sail. This blog is a collection of the sailing education and adventures of two sailors on opposite ends of the experience and success spectrum. It ranges from the Laser Master Worlds to the local Laser sailing as well as a couple of other dinghies and the occasional keelboat.